Poor People Poems

A wider meaning of the term “Kavi” is a person with very deep perception of the human phenomenon. In this sense Nida Fazli is a true kavi. His poems make you think and be amazed at his very fine perception. The following poem was written by him after a visit …

In this lovely poem, flowers are metaphors for children. Those children who do not have a childhood are like wilted flowers. Like the children I photographed recently in Delhi’s Sarojini Nagar Market, selling various sundry items to passers by. Rajiv Krishna Saxena कुम्हलाये हैं फूल अभी–अभी तो खिल आये थे …

Here is a very moving poem of Ibne Insha. How after all the society can be that insensitive to the plight of a child in destitution? Rajiv Krishna Saxena यह बच्चा कैसा बच्चा है यह बच्चा कैसा बच्चा है यह बच्चा काला-काला-सा यह काला-सा, मटियाला-सा यह बच्चा भूखा-भूखा-सा यह बच्चा …

Poverty was all pervasive when the country gained freedom. This famous poem by Bhagwati Charan Verma, excerpts from which are being presented here, describes the pathetic state of poor people who constituted bulk of the society at that time. Today as the country has “progressed” the disparity has accentuated. There …

Non-descript poor laborers work hard and their hard work creates magnificent houses, roads, bridges, buildings and dams. They remain detached and move on once the job is done. They are the true magicians without ever realizing it. Here is a lovely poem by Anamika about such people. Rajiv Krishna Saxena …

A little kid in a poverty stricken family… makes natural child-like impulsive demands. Then by experience, learns to scale them down. Rajiv Krishna Saxena अनुभव परिपक्व माँ हम नहीं मानते – अगली दीवाली पर मेले से हम वह गाने वाला टीन का लट्टू लेंगे ही लेंगे – नहीं, हम नहीं …

Who wants to sleep on the footpath? Yet out of sheer helplessness, millions do. On a hot summer night, how uncomfortable and frustrating it should be to sleep on stones and gravel. This precious poem by Kaifi Azmi captures the frustration and its essence. It traces human evolution from animals …